Combinatorial rigidity in curve complexes and mapping class groups (Q952938)

The curve complex \(\mathcal{C}(S)\), introduced by [\textit{W. J. Harvey}, Boundary structure of the modular group, Riemann surfaces and related topics: Proc. 1978 Stony Brook Conf., Ann. Math. Stud. 97, 245--251 (1981; Zbl 0461.30036)], of a compact oriented surface \(S\) of genus \(g\) (possibly with \(n\) boundary components) is a simplicial complex whose \(k\)-simplices are collections of \(k+1\) simple disjoint closed curves on \(S\) which are homotopically nontrivial and nonperipheral and pairwise nonisotopic. This complex carries a natural action of the mapping class group \(\text{Mod}(S)\), which is the group of isotopy classes of orientation-preserving self-homeomorphisms of \(S\). Given surfaces \(S\) and \(S'\), a simplicial map \(s:\mathcal{C}(S)\rightarrow \mathcal{C}(S')\) (resp. a homomorphism \(h:\text{Mod}(S)\rightarrow\text{Mod}(S')\)) is said geometric if it is induced by a map \(f:S \rightarrow S'\). In this context, a rigidity result usually says that, under certain hypotheses, such simplicial maps (resp. homomorphisms) are geometric. The main result proven by the author says that, with the exception of a few cases for low \(g\) and \(n\), a simplicial embedding from \(s:\mathcal{C}(S)\rightarrow \mathcal{C}(S')\) is geometric, provided \(3g-3+n\geq 3g'-3+n'\). As a corollary, the author obtains a similar rigidity statement for injection of a finite-index subgroup of \(\text{Mod}(S)\) inside \(\text{Mod}(S')\). Other results in this direction were obtained by [\textit{E. Irmak}, Topology 43, No.~3, 513--541 (2004; Zbl 1052.57024), Topology Appl. 153, No.~8, 1309--1340 (2006; Zbl 1100.57020)], \textit{N. V. Ivanov} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 1997, No.~14, 651--666 (1997; Zbl 0890.57018)], \textit{M. Korkmaz} [Topology Appl. 95, No.~2, 85--111 (1999; Zbl 0926.57012)], \textit{F. Luo} [Topology 39, No.~2, 283--298 (2000; Zbl 0951.32012)] and \textit{D. Margalit} [Duke Math. J. 121, No.~3, 457--479 (2004; Zbl 1055.57024)].